This topic has popped up a few times here on IDO. I stumbled across this and thought I would share with you guys and gals. Like I have said previous. I still don’t wear mine 100% of the time like I should, but I’m getting better. This may have just sealed the deal for me. Make sure you watch the video and share it with your friends and family. 
This topic brings up a lot of tears for me personally.
It is a miracle I didn’t end up the same way as Mr. Mcacabe.
In the fall of 2004 day after opening day bow season I proceeded to climb up in a friend’s stand that he had hunted in the day before and shot a big 10 pointer. I assumed it was fine. I climbed up onto the platform , hoisted all my equipment up into the stand. I then tried to latch my Hunter safety system safety harness to the tree strap on the tree. Before I could hook it on my worst nightmare happened. The tree stand broke out from underneath me.
I awoke later that day in the ICU at St. Anthony Hospital in Rockford, Illinois. My wife, my children, and my hunting buddy whose stand broke from underneath me.Were in the room praying for me.
They said that I fractured my t-3, T-1, and c-3, and c-4 vertebrae, and also had a basal skull fracture. I lacerated my left shoulder almost to the bone from the string on my bow breaking as I tried to grab it to break my fall it had snapped.
It was all a haze to me. I was just trying to figure out how I got to the hospital. They said that I crawled on my belly almost a quarter mile to the road where a lady saw me. She called 911. The paramedic actually followed the blood trail in the snow and found my broken glasses, broken bow , and my backpack with my cellphone in it(still in the tree.)
My hunting buddy went to recover the stand that morning and found that the bolts that had held the strap had actually sheered off due to the stand being in the tree for so longand the tree swelling so much. he had hung the stand a year prior.
I spent six months trying to recover. It was a miracle that I can still walk. I live with back pain everyday. And the hope that no one ever has to go through what I did. I now teach hunters safety in Wisconsin and Illinois. Every opportunity I get to share my story I try hoping it will save a life.
-Always wear a harness(I prefer Hunters Safety System harnesses) Easy to use plus they include an easy to use relief strap to take pressure off your legs.
-Check your stands every season
-Take them down at the end of every season.
-Screw in tree steps that are screwed in certain tree only last a few months due to the acidity in the trees sap.Try to avoid them.
-Loosen your hang on stands if your not going to be hunting for an extended time. You can always re tighten it when you come back.
Hope this encourage some of your to wear a harness and take care of your treestands.
God Bless,
Troy Vinson
I’m glad to hear every thing turned out better for you then Mr. McCabe. Also thank you for sharing your tragedy here and hopefully educating all of us a lil’ more. I know you taught me something. 
I never thought about the stress a stand could take on from leaving it in a tree year around. I will definitely be looking at re-setting some tree stands and inspecting them a little more thoroughly. Thank you Troy and I owe you one.
I went out Saturday morning, put on my “Hunters Safety Vest”, It was so dark in the morning when I lached the belt around the tree, then over and thru the belt. I decided to hunt until 9:00am – when I decided to leave I realized that when I initially secured the belt thru the weave, I didn’t go thru the right spot! I went thru the same area I started the strap with. If I were to fall, I would of had nothing to hold me, the strap would of blown right thru. 
LIL Ripper
your welcome!! It was amazing to learn from the manufacturer of the treestands that the bolts could withstand 5500 lbs of sheer pressure before popping. So within a year that oak tree grew a tremendous amount and placed some serious pressure on that strap. The strap held up and didn’t tear or snap. the bolts failed.
I have a friend who just this summer was checking his stand and one of his brand new screw in treesteps failed. He was gored on the steps below and hung in the air till we heard him screaming. Lucky we were around to take him off and were able to call 911.He suffered major internal injury and will not be hunting out of anything besides the telephone pole shack we built for him.
I also encourage anyone who has lag bolted wooden steps or nailed in wooden steps to get rid of them. Or anystand built out of wood inside a tree. The pressure of tree growth and wind stresses can destroy a wooden platform in a short time.
Spend the money on quality treestands you only have one life to live.
Lip – thanks for posting this video and thanks to Mr. McCabe for sharing his story as a reminder to wear a safety harness.
Troy – thank you for sharing your story as well. I’m sure it’s very emotional for you to relive that horrific day. I never thought about the stress a tree would have on a tree stand that was left out over the year. I’m guilty of this and thank you for the warning. Right now I have 28 portables out, so needless to say it’s a lot of work taking them down, inspecting them and then putting them back up. However, I will do it one by one thanks to your message.
I am so glad my story affected you . Especially to be more aware of your hunting experiences. I would do anything to save a life, or to save them from the pain and suffering I have went through. Wow 28 portables!!! Thats crazy maintenance. Most treestand manufacturer sell a strap replacement kit , come with bolts and everything. Big thing to look for is rust forming around your cables on hang-on stands. It is sign of tannic Acid from the tree corroding the cables. Sunlight also a deteriorates the straps on a treestand.
Another thing that is hard on stands is the cinch straps get jammed into the tree bark and it is really hard to get them off, I have had stands that in just three months I have had to bring my ratchet set to the tree and undo the bolts because I can’t get the cinch strap loose.
Just got an email from a fellow gun club member who said his son fell out of a ladder stand while putting it up (BY HIMSELF) He is in ICU and may not live. Hit his head on some rocks. His Dad told him to take some friends to help and to take an extension ladder to fasten the ladder stand to the tree.
Be careful out there!!
Thanks again Troy! I had my vest on this morning!
Thanks for posting these stories Lip and Troy. I’m hunting out of a tree stand for the first time this year and have told myself to never go up there without my saftey harness and ropes.
Thanks for the reminder Lip, I know I’m not wearing mine 100% of the time for one reason or another. You always think it can’t happen to you.
I’ll be making sure that its with me from now on!
Jami
I absolutely cannot get into a tree stand unless I’m strapped. Twice that I recall I have gotten into my stand sight only to find I forgot my tree strap. Both times I left to go get it, once with less than an hour of light left. (Ended up getting a buck that time) I am very uncomfortable with heights and have a hard time even standing up so I’m completely clueless how people can hunt in a stand without strapping in. While I have managed to get to about 13′ in the air (Farther in my Summit climber) I am limited to shooting only at deer within my left range of motion. Behind me, straight ahead, or to my right and the deer is safe regardless of how many feet apart his antlers may be.
Rifle hunting we use elevated, 4’x4′, box stands so no problems there.
To the fellow who just learned his buddies son is badly injured, know I said a prayer for them. As serious as this kind of injury can be it amazes me more of us do not take better precautions to be safe. Myself included. 
Quote:
As serious as this kind of injury can be it amazes me more of us do not take better precautions to be safe.
I hear you and I am not one to be preaching, but I’m improving and hope to be 100% here soon.
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